The Fantasy Review‘s Spoiler-Free Review of Scream 4 (2011).
Rating: 5/5
Scream 4 (2011) was the first movie I watched in the franchise back when it came out, and was also my introduction to slasher movies, so I have a lot of nostalgia for it. That being said, it’s incredible and improves upon some of the storytelling mistakes of Scream 3 (2000).
Positives
The opening scenes of this movie are iconic, with the Stab movie with a Stab movie, etc. It’s funny, silly, and the perfect way to open a Scream movie. It sets the tone, letting us know that it’s not going to take itself seriously.
The introduction of some new characters was done well, integrating them into the cast of legacy characters well. They did this carefully, making fans of the original trilogy happy while moving the franchise forwards.
The Ghostface reveal was good, if a little obvious, but there was enough doubt thrown in to make it a satisfying and entertaining mystery.
Negatives
They really didn’t want to kill anyone they thought the fans might be upset about. This is my only negative for Scream 4. It felt too safe and not particularly scary, which was a shame (but gets better with the fifth and sixth movies).
Final Thoughts
Overall, Scream 4 is a fantastic sequel to the original trilogy and a great slasher in its own right. They could have been a little braver with who lives and who dies, but at the end of the day it was still a very enjoyable watch.
